Is A Visit To The Beach Becoming Dangerous

PR Log (Press Release) – Oct 24, 2009 – For the first time, the very dangerous golden staph bacteria has been located in sand and water at five public beaches along the coast of Washington.

The bug MRSA is methicillin-resistant Straphylococcus aureus. This hard-to-treat germ is normally not seen outside hospitals. The danger is that it has spread to areas such as schools, locker rooms and gyms.

The germ can create ghastly skin infections, as well as pneumonia and other life-threatening problems. It is mainly contracted through human contact.

Marilyn Roberts, a microbiologist at the University of Washington in Seattle affirms “We don't know the risk for any individual going to a beach. The fact that we found these organisms suggests that the level is much higher than we had thought.”

From February to September, 2008, researchers tested 10 beaches in Washington along the West Coast and in Puget Sound. They located staph bacteria at nine of the beaches, including five with MRSA.

The public have been encouraged by the scientists not to avoid beaches, or be frightened of them. A microbiologist at North Shore University Health System in Illinois, Dr. Lance Peterson affirms “It’s probably prudent to shower when you come out, to lower the risk of bacteria staying on the skin.”

“Make sure you get all the sand off and cover any open cuts or scrapes before playing in it,” added Roberts. “Digging in the sand, or being buried in it seems to raise the risk of infection.”

Screening all patients who book into hospital for an operation, for MRSA, has became mandatory in England in April this year, in order to bring incidents of the superbug down. Golden staph kills one in five patients.

Consultant microbiologist at Barts and the London NHS Trust, Michael Millar, said, “The tests can be unreliable, meaning some patients will wrongly test positive for the bug when they do not have it and will be given unnecessary treatment to clear it, causing delays to their surgery.”

In England there were 509 cases of MRSA, a 40% drop on the same quarter last year and a 27% drop on the previous quarter this year.


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